The Things We Do
by snowbellss
Summary: A collection of drabbles featuring Klaus, Caroline and some others. #5 - "As she looked at him she wondered, not for the first time, when did he become so cruel, so cold hearted and where was the bad tempered but sweet guy she fell for?"
1. Jealousy (Klefaroline)

**A/N: **this is the place I'll use to post my drabbles from Tumblr. So far I've only written humorous Klefaroline stuff, but hopefully I can write more varieties later. :)

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Klaus has been acting weird lately. Since Stefan got here, to be more accurate, he's been grumpier than usual–if that scowl on his face wasn't already permanent than she's pretty sure it is now–and he's been spending way too much time locked inside his studio with only bottles of scotch for company.

And depressive classic music on the background.

She has a pretty good idea as to why he's been acting like this; she does admit that she's been neglecting him for the past week in order to catch up with her BFF–

–which okay, she might have had the illusion that she was in love with him at some point, but Klaus doesn't know that… right?

Oh, well, he has nothing to worry about and she thought he knew that, so she let it slide, thinking it'd go away soon.

Needless to say, she was wrong. It didn't go away, it actually got worse.

Every time she got home from a day out with Stefan, Klaus left his studio, glared at them–if looks could kill she and friend would be dead, buried and eaten by worms at this point–and left for his studio again, closing the door rather roughly behind him. At night he'd slide in their bed without a word and sleep with his back turned to her. No "Goodnight, love," no kiss, no _sex_. Caroline was getting frustrated with his petty jealousy, so much that she had considered tying him up to a chair and beating him up until he realized how much of an idiot he actually is.

But she decided that maybe that wasn't the best approach after all.

And that is how she ended up in their bed on only red lace lingerie and black heels. She would bang his brains out until he got inside that thick skull of his that he was the one she wanted to be with…

Or so she planned.

"What do you mean you're going out for drinks with Stefan?" She asked him incredulously.

Klaus was standing by their dresser looking for his wallet.

"Stefan invited me to go out and have some drinks and I said yes."

Stefan invited him for drinks? That made no sense. Like no sense _at all_. Why would Stefan invite him for drinks? And most importantly, why would Klaus choose _that_ over having sex with her?

She kept staring at him with the same incredulous look still on her face. "I'm half naked on our bed and you are going out to have drinks with Stefan?"

Unfreakingbelivable.

He turned to look at her with apologetic eyes. "Sorry, love, but this is kind of important. You'll have to wait."

Wait? Oh, no, mister, nah-huh. She would not wait for him to come back from his "kind of important" _date_.

She arched an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I won't wait, Klaus. It's now or never."

He kept staring at her for a couple of minutes, seemingly unsure of what to do. She scoffed at his indecision, fuming now. "Let me make this easier for you," said slowly, the anger and frustration very much present in her tone. "Go out, have fun with your _boyfriend_. But don't expect to touch me for a very long time."

Asshole.

Klaus sighed and ran his hand down his face. "Caroline–"

"Go!" She shouted, pointing at the door.

He raised and dropped his arms in frustration before leaving the room, muttering something that sounded incredibly like "women" and "this conversation isn't over."

Caroline sunk in bed with her arms crossed and a huge pout on her face.

So much for her plans…

She couldn't believe that Klaus had blew her off to go out to have drinks with some _guy_—okay, not just some guy, _Stefan_—but still, it sucks! He never passed on an opportunity to have sex with her, especially if she's throwing herself at him. She bought this lingerie just for tonight!

She was made a fool of and he'd be damned if he thought she would let it slide.

Oh, she wouldn't. No freaking way.

How dare they abandon her?

There would be pay back, for _both_ of them. First she would start with her _beloved_ _boyfriend_, he will sleep in the couch tonight, followed by an absence of sex for an undecided amount of time and the ice treatment, because he—just like her— _hates_ to be ignored, so there's no better punishment than the ice treatment.

As for her _dear best friend_, she would take him on a shopping trip tomorrow for the complete package: clothes, shoes, purses and underwear and she'd be her most annoying, bossy and shallow self. All of that while using Klaus's credit card and making Stefan carry her bags. Later, she'd take him dancing.

An evil smile was playing on her lips.

Oh, yeah, they'd learn that _no one_ makes Caroline Forbes a fool.

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**AN 2: **if you have any requests, please feel free to send them to me either here or Tumblr (takethatasachallenge).


	2. That Pesky Phone (Klefaroline)

**Prompt: Caroline and Stefan shopping while Klaus is texting her non-stop about pervy things.**

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Stefan Salvatore was bored, so bored. He couldn't believe he had let Caroline drag him into this, to a shopping trip.

He hated shopping.

And he especially hated shopping with women—they became monsters when they were surrounded by clothes, shoes and bags. It was even worst when they actually had money to buy anything they wanted. And Caroline did, oh how she did.

It's been two hours since they entered the mall and she had already bought half of two stores and was on her way to buy half of another one.

Worst part is: _he _was the one who had to carry all those bags, because she was, quote too busy to carry on her own and he was supposed to be, quote a gentleman.

He let out a sigh when she stopped in front a store window and, seemingly liking what she saw inside, dragged him into the store with her.

He was watching her scroll through a clothes rack when they heard her phone ringing inside her purse. Caroline paused and reached to retrieve it, typing a quick message to however have interrupted her fun.

She returned to her scrolling and not a minute later her phone was ringing again. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the device.

This time she gasped when reading the message's content before typing another answer and quickly getting rid of pesky phone.

"What was that?" he asked her curiously.

She looked at him embarrassedly—

—Caroline Forbes embarrassed?

"Just Klaus," she answered simply, not giving him anymore details and averting her eyes.

Huh, suspicious.

Maybe Klaus is being his usual paranoid self and annoying Caroline with assumptions about their relationship. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, Klaus was Klaus and as much as he had grown by being with Caroline, he wouldn't let go of one thousand years of insecurities and personality traits.

He could only laugh at his former friend's suspicion though. The idea of him and Caroline being more than friends was ridiculous, she was like a little sister to him. Plus he would never be stupid enough to try to steal the Big Bad Hybrid's girlfriend. He still had a sense of self preservation.

By now his friend had already moved to another rack. She was scrolling distractedly now, not paying much attention to the clothes when her phone ringed for the third time in less than five minutes.

He saw the red creep up her cheeks while she read the text that she seemingly decided to ignore.

Clearing her throat she said without looking him in the eye, "It's time for shoes," and started walking away, hitting a clothes rack on the way out.

He wondered what was on those texts that had made Caroline so flustered.

As they walked towards the shoe store her phone didn't stop ringing and she clutched her purse's strap every time it did to fight the temptation to look at messages, growing more and more anxious every time.

It would be an amusing sight for anyone, but not to Stefan Salvatore whose eyebrows were so furrowed that they seemed to have merged into one.

Things did not get better once they finally reached the store. Caroline's phone wouldn't stop ringing and Caroline herself was so antsy that she kept dropping shoes, confusing sizes and stuttering her orders to the attendant.

No need to say that Stefan was worried.

When she tripped on the pile of shoes that has formed on the floor and fell with her ass back on the chair, he said enough.

He would get answers for her weird behavior right now.

Turning to her he asked, "Caroline, what the hell is going on?"

She did not look at him when she answered nervously, "w-what do you mean?"

"I mean that you've been acting weird since you got that message from Klaus."

"I'm not acting weird!" she said with a too loud voice and a creepy smile that couldn't fool anyone.

Stefan was not amused by her antics.

"Yes, you are," he said seriously, "You're all flustered and clumsy and you keep tripping on your own words."

"It's nothing, I promise," she said with a calmer tone, putting a hand on his arm to reassure him that everything was okay.

And he believed her… until the phone ringed again with yet another message and Caroline became redder than a tomato after reading it.

"W-we… um… we should go… um… maybe eat something…" she stuttered, getting up from the chair and grabbing her purse, the shoes that she did not buy and that were clearly too big for her still on her feet.

But he had had enough. If she wouldn't tell him what those messages were about and why they were making her so uncomfortable, he would figure out for himself.

Reaching out he pulled her back to the chair and grabbed her purse, quickly finding her phone. He could hear her gasp and her pleas not to read the messages, saying something about how he "doesn't want to read that," but he paid her no mind.

He found her inbox: 20 new messages from Klaus, and began reading.

"From Klaus: Love, I can't wait for you to get home so we can—," he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he read Klaus's next words, shooting his friend an incredulous look.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "I hate to say I warned you, but I did."

His eyes went back to the phone and he continued to scroll through the messages, each one dirtier than the last.

When he finally had enough, he gave the phone back to his friends, unable to look her in the eyes.

"He… um… has some very… um… _bold_ ideas of how flexible you can be."

"Well, I _was_ a cheerleader," she said matter-of-factly.

Stefan grimaced and started walking away without sparing her a glance.

"Wait, where are you going? Stefan!" she called.

"I'm going to drink until the image of how _flexible_ you can be with Klaus is out of my brain."

This might take the entire liquor supply of the city.

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**AN: **follow me on Tumblr (**takethatasachallenge**), my askbox is always open for requests. :)


	3. Okay, Cupids (Klefaroline)

**Promp: Klaus and Caroline sign Stefan into an online dating site.**

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"Age?"

"Should we be honest?"

"Forever seventeen."

"Now, love, I don't think that's very attractive."

Caroline stopped typing to cut him a glare. "Excuse me?"

The smirk immediately disappeared from him face. "Except for you, forever seventeen is very attractive on you," he said with a charming smile.

Throwing him another annoyed glance, Caroline went back to the questionnaire. "Marital Status?"

"Forever pining after doe-eyed doppelgangers that likes to bang my brother," Klaus answers amusedly.

Groaning Caroline turns to him. "Can you take this seriously, please?"

"Sweetheart, there's nothing serious on filling an online dating profile for a hundred year old vampire," he answered matter-of-factly, which only made Caroline more annoyed.

"Klaus, the sooner we get Stefan a date, the sooner we'll have some time to ourselves""

"We're having time to ourselves right now!"

"_Because_, I guilt tripped Stefan into getting me more blood bags."

"You sent the Ripper to the hospital?" He asked her with a mix of incredulity and amusement.

"I was desperate!" Caroline defends.

And she really was. Stefan had been "visiting" them for over three months and, at first, she and Klaus—although he'd never admit—were ecstatic, they both loved Stefan and missed him and couldn't wait to have some company that wasn't a part of Klaus's annoying family—

—because, good God, those people are a pain in the ass!

So yes, at first Stefan's visit had been fun, they caught up, they went out, and he even went shopping with her a couple of times. But then, things started escalating, what was supposed to be a four weeks visit became two month and the two months soon became three and her lovely best friend became a needy burden.

He was _always_ there, either after her or Klaus or both, wherever they went. The only thing missing was for him to climb in bed with them and ask to sleep in the middle and she didn't doubt that he might come to that point if they don't find something for him to distract himself with, s_oon_,because she misses spending time with _her_ hybrid _alone_.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the man sitting in bed beside her. "Look, Stefan has been really lonely lately, he's so sad and he's my best friend. I really want to help him, so please, help me help him," she gives him her best puppy eyes that always get her what she wants.

Sighing Klaus motions for her to continue.

"Sexual orientation? Straight."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, why?" She turns to him with a questioning look.

"Nothing," he answers innocently with a shrug.

Caroline's brows furrowed. "Do you know something I don't?"

"I know many things you don't," he teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but when he didn't offer an explanation and kept smiling at her, she let it go. She had more important things to worry about now than Klaus cryptic words. He was full of them after all.

"Let's just finish this."

Thirty minutes, fifty three snarky comments, eighty one eye rolls and uncountable scoffs later they were done with Stefan's online dating profile.

"Broody Stefan, 17 in soul; currently living in New Orleans, sharing a house with my super cool BFF and her anti-social boyfriend; I'm rich, funny—," she ignores the snort, "—and confident. I don't have a job because I don't need one; on a typical Friday night I am: out with my bestie; the most private thing I am willing to admit: I like to write down my memories on journals; you should message me if you are: interested in romance," she finishes with a satisfied clap. "It's done, we did well! Actually _I_ did well, _you_ didn't help at all."

"I'm sorry if I don't agree with your methods. I much rather compel some random girl in the street," he said taking a sip from his bourbon glass—when the hell did he get that?

Shaking her head slightly Caroline glares at him, "We've talked about this, no compelling anyone to date anyone, got it?" she said pointing her finger at him.

Klaus rolls his eyes in her direction, she knows he got it; they've had this conversation plenty of times before.

"So what now?" he asks.

"Now, we find someone to date Stefan."

"And how do we do that?"

"We check out girls' profiles and see if they'd be a good match. When we find one we like, we message her," she explains with a smile.

He frowns, "How exactly do you know so much about online dating?"

"I watch TV. Now, let's get to work."

With a last defeated sigh, Klaus turns back to look at the laptop screen with his girl. This is going to be a long night…

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**A/N: ****This is the last drabble I had posted on Tumblr, so I should start working on new stuff now. I've got some prompts and ideas, but I don't know when I'll actually work on them, so be patient with me. And, if you have a prompt, feel free to send it to me either here or Tumblr (takethatasachallenge).**

**See you soon! :)**


	4. We Won't Say Our Goodbyes (Klaroline)

**A/N: **this was done as a Secret Santa gift for my friend, it's more dramatic than my previous one-shots and all Klaroline. I hope you guys like it. :)

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><p>We Won't Say Our Goodbyes<p>

_(you know it's better that way)_

She has always hated goodbyes, has never been good at them, but she was particularly bad at saying goodbye to _him_. Even in the first time they had to say goodbye, back at her 20s themed decade dance that he had crashed. It was the most uncomfortable dance of her entire life – no, not because she was dancing in the arms of their enemy, she had already done that and it was – dare she say it – _pleasant._ No, it was because her boyfriend had been there, watching their every move like a hawk and, even though she _hates_ to admit it, Klaus' words had hit too close to home, "Small town boy, small town life, it won't be enough for you."

He was right, she had always known that he was right. Caroline has always felt like she was meant for bigger and better things than tiny Mystic Falls. Don't get her wrong, she loves her town, it's her _home_, after all. But she has never wanted to spend her whole life stuck in it, the urge to travel and know new places has always been a part of her life, but she's never really pushed for it, never actually considered that leaving it was a real option for her, content with simply settling, getting married, starting a family, being the organizer of every big event in town, maybe on day becoming the mayor – what? Caroline Forbes aims high even when she's aiming low – and after the supernatural drama hit Mystic Falls and she started to lose the people she holds dear, she started to cling to her normal life as much as possible.

It wasn't until Klaus walked inside her room that night to feed her his blood and give her an entire speech about the wonders of the world that that dream of exploring it had returned to her and she started considering the possibility that maybe, just maybe, she _could_ do bigger and better things.

At that moment in time, Klaus represented to her the possibilities of a more exciting life and she didn't want to say goodbye to that just yet, no matter how much she hated him and how much to wanted to rub in his face that he was wrong, she simply couldn't.

So she didn't say goodbye that day.

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><p>The second time she didn't say goodbye to him was after her graduation and she didn't hate him anymore. No, she hated <em>herself <em>for not hating him and for wanting him to be there that day, for reaching out to him with that invitation, for _missing_ him when he was gone, for wishing, even if just for a moment, that he had kissed her in the lips instead of in the cheek, for feeling that anticipation when he leaned closer to her, for the butterflies in her belly when he told her he intended to her last love and she hated herself for allowing him to take her out for a date.

Her friends had all taken off and her mother had been called in the station right after the ceremony, she wasn't surprised in the slightest, she knew the veil dropping had caused all kinds of trouble in the town and the sheriff would have to cover them up. It didn't lessen the disappointment that she felt when learning that she wouldn't be spending this night with her mom though. But she didn't want to be alone tonight, she wanted to celebrate the end of a chapter in her life and she wanted to share it with someone. So when Klaus asked if he could take her out for a drink she didn't hesitate before saying yes.

He took her to his mansion and they drank a fancy bottle of champagne in one of the benches of his ridiculously big garden. It reminds her of that date they had, not long ago on another ridiculously big garden in another ridiculously large mansion that belongs to another hybrid. With that though, the guilt hits her in such an intensity that it makes her dizzy. Tyler is hiding God knows where, fearing for his life and instead of calling him the second Klaus granted him his freedom she decided to drink and laugh and enjoy herself in his company. What was _wrong_ with her?

That was what made her jump out of the bench and turn to Klaus with a frown. He was looking at her with concern is his eyes and her heart clenched at the thought that she was about to disappoint him after he came so far just to see her. Dammit, her heart was such a messy thing these days.

"It's late, I have to go," she said, offering him an apologetic smile.

Disappointment crossed his face, as she expected, but he soon covered it up with a smile. He stood up and gathered the glasses and the empty bottle before walking to her.

"As you wish. Allow me to drive you home?"

She nodded with a smile.

The drive back to her house was silent and quick. Too quick. Klaus didn't say anything to her while she exited the car, he was probably expecting her to, but she couldn't. At that moment in time Klaus represented her guilt, but he also represented the world outside, specially now that he moved to a more exciting city, he represented devotion – the guy _did _came back just for her after all... and he also represented the future – no, she's not thinking about spending her future with him, no way, but she _is_ thinking about listening to his advice. How could she say goodbye to that?

She left the car and went back to her house without a word. Always the gentleman, Klaus waited for her to get inside to drive away, she watched his car from the window until it was out of sight.

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><p>The third time she didn't say goodbye to him was in the woods after hours of exploring each other's bodies. He caught her by surprise that day, she wasn't expecting to see him so soon after graduation and his grand promise, as she heard he was pretty busy in New Orleans.<p>

What also caught her by surprise was his request, "As soon as we're done here, I'm gonna walk away and I'm never coming back. [...] I will be gone and you will be free. I just... want you to be honest with me." She was _not_ expecting that, she wasn't ready for that.

She pondered for a moment, maybe it was the resignation in his tone, maybe it was the pleading eyes, maybe it was the fact that she knew that even if she denied him he would go back to New Orleans anyway or maybe it was all of those things combined that made her decide to be honest. But Caroline could never quite put into words how she felt about him, it was all too confusing for her and she's not about to spend an hour explaining to Klaus how she feels, so she opted for a kiss. And oh, what a mistake that was...

His lips were just as soft as she imagined and he was such a great kisser, she could practically hear the fireworks in her head as she pressed her lips harder against his and brought her hands to his hair to keep him place. The smile he gave her was heart melting and she couldn't not smile back. Apparently that was all the permission Klaus needed to push against a tree and kiss her harder and that's when Caroline Forbes, control freak extraordinere, lost control. In the back of her head, she knew the consequences of her actions, but as Klaus ripped her shirt to shreds and kissed her, she didn't care and soon they were both naked and all she could think about was how good he felt against her.

He had been the best lover she's ever had and she was not surprised, he _did_ have a gazilion years of practice. When the two of them finally exhausted themselves, they just laid in the forest floor, Caroline resting her head on Klaus's chest, playing with the lines of his tattoo and him playing with the curls of her hair. They were both silent, just enjoying these final moments together, committing it to memory. She had come to cherish and appreciate these little moments of quietness between them, it was an statement of how comfortable they had gotten with one another, it was quite frightening, to say the truth.

When the sun started to set and the day started to die, Caroline decided that it was time for her to return, she had been gone for hours, soon enough her friends might send a search party after her and she couldn't let them catch her in such a compromising position now, could she?

Klaus laughed when she told him that.

"You weren't complaining thirty minutes ago, love." he said.

"Shut up."

As they got dressed she made a point to complain about the shirt he had ruined, to which he responded with a complaint about the pants _she_ had ruined, talked about how the hell was he supposed to go back to New Orleans with jeans that had a broken zipper and no button. She only smirked, he was rich, he could very well stop by a store and buy himself a new pair of pants.

After they were both done, they came to stand in front of each other and it was the moment Caroline had been dreading since they ended their _activities_:the moment to say goodbye.

At this point in time, Klaus represented to her even more guilt – guilt that hadn't settled yet, because she didn't allow herself to think of the boy he had certainly hurt again – but now Klaus also represented freedom and pleasure and comfort and she isn't quite ready to let go just yet, even though she knows she has to as it was the entire point of today with him, to let go.

So Caroline brings her hand to caress his cheek again, to feel the stubble in his jaw one last time, to commit his features to memory, and she gives him a light peck on the lips and pulls back with a small smile, which he doesn't return – too bad, because she wanted to see his dimples again. She opens her mouth to say it, that word (_goodbye_), but ends up shaking her head instead and walking away.

She knows that this was the last time he's reached out to her and she won't see him for a really long time. She's not stupid enough to believe that they will never cross paths again, they are immortals after all and the world is small enough that they will eventually end up in the same place at the same time one day in the future. Be it in a year or a century, she will see him again and she can only hope that she will be strong enough to say goodbye then... or maybe she won't have to.

(But she's definitely _not_ considering that possibility. Nuh-huh.)


	5. when i look into you eyes (Klaroline)

AU/AH

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The apartment was silent; all she could hear were the sounds of the outside world, her own breathing and occasionally the sound of the wine she twirled in her glass. This situation wasn't new to her, she's left alone with her thoughts more often than not these days and, sadly, she used to it, and used to the loneliness she never thought she would feel. She's always been a girl of many friends, when she was younger she was almost never alone, not even when her mother neglected her in the name of her job.

Oh, being neglected, another feeling she became a little too used to, all of the most important people of her life neglected her; her father who only called once a week and visited once every two months, her mother who worked 24/7 and now her husband whose job also takes so much time that he can't even bother to show up for their anniversary dinner anymore – or any other dinner actually.

She let out a bitter laugh and finished her wine. Moving to the bottle, she noticed it was empty. Another bottle of wine she finished alone, that seems to be happening a lot lately… maybe she's becoming an alcoholic.

Resting her elbows on her knees, she dropped her head on her hands, she wanted to cry at the mess her life had become, it's a quarter to one in the morning and she's on a strange city with no friends, no family, sitting all alone inside her huge apartment's living room waiting for a man she felt like she barely knew anymore. She was miserable, plain and simple. And that's why she made the most difficult decision of her life a couple of hours ago – she was leaving.

Her sole piece of luggage was resting next to the foot of her couch; there was no point in taking too much with her, so she decided to only pack the essentials – some clothes, a couple pairs of shoes, her documents and a little wooden box where she kept mementos of her life and the people she loved.

She heard the elevator door open and looked up, seconds later her husband walked inside the living room, he looked tired, his hair was messy and he was already undoing his tie, he frowned when he saw her sitting on the couch, dressed in a pair of jeans, a sweater and ballerina flats, hair a mess and an empty bottle of red wine resting on the coffee table.

"Caroline, love—," he started, but stopped when he noticed the luggage. His frown deepened and he looked at her questionably. "Are you going somewhere? Did something happen? You look upset."

She didn't bother looking at him; instead she fixed her look on the wall in front of her.

"Do you know what time is it?" she asked in a monotone voice.

He kept frowning and looked at his watch.

"12: 47 why?"

"Do you have any idea what day was yesterday?"

He shook his head, utterly confused.

"I—," he began but she cut him off, raising her voice.

"It was our wedding anniversary, Klaus!"

His eyes widened as realization hit him and tears started pooling on her eyes.

"Five years of marriage and you forgot!" a broken sob left her then and she dropped her head on her hands again.

Klaus was cursing mentally, how could he forget something so important? He rubbed his hands down his face.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," he said while moving to sit next to her on the couch and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What can I do to make it up to you? What do you want, jewelry, shoes, clothes, a new car maybe?"

She could not believe what he was saying, he didn't know her at all anymore. She's not surprised, what with the amount of time he spends working instead of being home with her. It doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to hear him trying to buy her, trying to buy her forgiveness. She had made very clear to him back when he started courting her that she couldn't – wouldn't – be bought.

Quickly her sadness was replaced with anger and she slapped his hand away.

"Seriously, Klaus, you are trying to _buy_ me? Who the hell do you think I am?"

He looked caught off guard by her outburst, which only infuriated her more. She stood up from the couch and started pacing around the living room.

"Caroline –,"

"I've told you before, _you_ _can't buy me_! I'm not a whore! I don't want jewelry or fancy clothes or a new fancy car, I don't want three hundred pairs of shoes or two hundred bags, I don't want an apartment that's too big for only two people and I certainly _don't_want a private jet!"

Klaus had schooled his features into a cold mask of indifference, a mask she was too familiar with, it was already there when they met and it will continue to be there long after she's gone. But after eight years of being with him, of loving him and being loved by him, she knew Klaus better than anyone, she knew how to read past the mask, and what she saw deep in his eyes was fear.

It was enough to melt a little of the anger she felt and replace it back with sadness.

"We've talked about this only a few months ago," she started in a softer voice, "all I want is for my husband to pay attention to me, I want you to have breakfast with me instead of leaving in a hurry every morning, I want you to come home to dinner every night, I want to go out on dates, just the two of us, I want you to remember out anniversary, to stop putting your job before me, before _us_!"

"I'm trying, Caroline! I'm trying!"

"No, Klaus, you _tried_, for a few weeks and then you went back to working 24/7!"

He looked annoyed now, like he always did when she criticized the amount of time he spent working.

"The reason I work so hard is to maintain all the luxury we have!" he said in harsh tone while gesturing to the things around them.

She laughed bitterly – this was like talking to a brick wall.

"See, you don't even listen to me!" her voice was loud and exasperated. "I just told you I don't care about that stuff! I was fine with the simpler things, when it was just you and me in that small apartment, when we went out on vacation together once a year, when you took me on dates every weekend, when we still _knew_ each other!"

Now he got up from the couch too, she could see he was angry.

"So what do you want me to do then?" he started. "Leave my firm, my work of a lifetime just so I can spend every minute of every day with you? Is that what you want, Caroline?" he said the last part as if mocking her.

Her tears had blurred her vision now and she let out a sob while shaking her head.

"No, it's not."

"Then what. The. Hell. Do. You. Want?" he asked again through gritted teeth.

As she looked at him she wondered, not for the first time, when did he become so cruel, so cold hearted and where was the bad tempered but sweet guy she fell for? Maybe he had always been that way deep down and she was too blind to notice? No, he changed, as soon as his firm started gaining clients and making tons of money every month. Klaus, _her_ Klaus was unrecognizable at this point, he had been replaced by a copy of the man he hated most in the world – his father.

Caroline knew then that she really didn't have another option but to leave, leave before it was too late and she too became unrecognizable. She couldn't let him drag her down, not anymore.

Her marriage was over.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before shaking her head slowly and giving him a sad smile.

"I want nothing. Not from you, not anymore."

He looked at her in confusion.

"Do you see that?" she asked, pointing to the luggage still resting next to couch. "I'm leaving you."

That's when his mask broke and she could see the emotions crossing his face – realization, fear, hurt, desperation – she could practically hear his heart breaking into a million pieces inside his chest, it made her own broken heart clench.

"No, no, no, you can't do that," he reached both of his hands to hold her face, shaking his head frantically. "You can't do that, Caroline. I can fix this, I can drop everything and _fix_ this, just please, don't go."

She shook her head too, "you said that months ago when I fist told you that I was unhappy," tears were streaming down her face and she had to force her voice out. "You said you were going to fix it back then and here we are now, even worse than before."

"Just give me another chance, please," he shook her gently, desperate to try and change her mind.

And for half a second she considered it – giving him another chance. But this time her mind won the battle against her heart, logic won against emotion and she forced herself to stop crying, to reach for his hands and gently put them back by his side, to pick up her luggage and leave the room without sparing her husband even a single look.

As she entered the elevator she could hear something being thrown at the wall and shattering – probably one of her expansive Chinese vases. It was the perfect background music for the moment though – it matched perfectly with the sound her heart (and Klaus') was making.

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**A/N:** follow me on tumblr, takethatasachallenge :)


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